The writer is a business consultant and specialist in Caribbean Affairs
AS tourism destinations across the region observe Tourism Awareness month, the Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Hugh Riley has suggested that the region’s tourism industry needs to reward loyal Canadian travelers and show them in a tangible way the contribution they have been making over the years to Caribbean economies. In conversation with Riley during the recent Caribbean Week tourism celebrations in Toronto, he noted that Canadian travellers are making a valuable investment in the Caribbean by  providing substantial repeat business.
Describing Canadians as ‘bedrock’ for the Caribbean tourism industry in the midst of the global economic recession, Riley insisted that they should not be taken for granted.
He firmly believes there should be a method of illustrating to the Canadian long-term visitor to the Caribbean how exactly they are contributing to the region’s economic development and will pursue this concept.
Equating the individual spending of Canadian visitors to the number of computers or hospital beds this represents, are the type of statistics he would like to see highlighted.
Many Canadian visitors to the region have made 15 to 20 trips to various Caribbean destinations and sometimes, to the same country. It is these kinds of visitors that have been pumping their tourism dollars into the region that Riley would like to see rewarded and provided with incentives.
Travel to the Caribbean from Canada grew by 2.5% so far this year over the corresponding period last year and averaged over 9 % per annum between 2005 and 2009. CTO reported that overall, the Caribbean is performing well with arrivals up 5.1% so far this year over the same period last year. Canadian arrivals are expected to increase in the coming winter by 4.6 %.

With the Caribbean tourism industry feeling the pinch of the recession, especially from American and European consumers, Canada, according to Riley has been like “as oasis in the desert”.
The CTO Secretary General told Canadian and Caribbean media, travel agents and industry officials at the media awards luncheon that the new CTO Chairman, Minister of Tourism and International Transport for St Kitts and Nevis,Ricky Skerritt, has three priorities –  to “fix” the way the region is marketed, advocacy and service excellence.
One of the most welcome CTO initiatives is the proposed total visitor satisfaction programme. At the core of this initiative is ensuring that visitors receive a positive experience, with a level of service that is consistent and exceeds their expectations.
The importance of displaying a welcoming attitude at points of entry was underscored with Riley emphasising that “a bad attitude does not equate to good security”. While information is required from visitors when they arrive, he contended that this should be done in a courteous and respectful way.
It is a message that hopefully the region’s immigration officers will take seriously and the tourism service sectors will take advantage of when the programme is rolled out.
Grenada’s Tourism Minister Glynnis Roberts, who attended several of the Caribbean Week of events in Toronto,  believes interfacing with Canadian travel agents and  the media  is important not only for advertising its tourism product  but to get  the message out that the Canadian market is important to the region.
“Our goal is to share our culture with Canadians and inspire them to come and experience the Caribbean for themselves,” added CTO’s Director of marketing for Americas, Sylma Brown Bramble.
After a challenging 2009, many  of the tourist boards represented at Caribbean Week are upbeat about an increase in business in 2011, especially after seeing encouraging results for the second half of this year.
Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica and St. Lucia all recorded double digit increases in visitor arrivals from Canada for the first six to nine months of this year, compared with the same period last year. Antigua and Barbuda had a whopping 77.6 increase in Canadian business.
CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority Colin James attributed this stellar performance to a doubling of the airlift, including new charters from Air Transat out of Toronto and Montreal and the resumption, after many years, of a direct service by Air Canada from Montreal.
Senior Business Development Manager at the Barbados Tourism Authority’s Toronto Office, Cheryl Carter, attributed the significant growth in Canadian visitors to the island to the increase in seat capacity. 
“This summer we welcomed a five-times per week WestJet service and that coupled with the daily direct service which Barbados has received from Air Canada for more than 60 years, made the island more accessible, and in many instances, more affordable not just from Ontario, but from across Canada.”
Jamaica Tourist Board District Sales Manager, Dan Hamilton, reported that forward bookings for 2011 are very encouraging due to an increase in airlift from six western Canada cities by Canadian carrier WestJet and a major advertising blitz.
Trinidad and Tobago experienced a small decline in Canadian visitors to the twin-island Republic for the first quarter of this year but Tourism Representative Michelle Joseph pointed to a turnaround for the Summer and Fall, with impressive numbers for larger properties such as the Marriott, Holiday Inn and Hyatt.
Tourism business for the Turks and Caicos Islands has been booming with a nearly 100 per cent increase in Canadian tourists, including cruise passengers, for the first half of this year over the same period last year. For 2011 bookings are “solid”, with ten flights a week scheduled for winter, according to Sales and Marketing Executive, Rosemary Wilson.
Most of the countries participating in the Toronto forum emphasized the importance of promoting the region as a single tourism brand and the urgent need for the Regional Marketing Fund to support this.
Caribbean media and a wide range of travel industry stakeholders got an introduction to Argyle Communications, one of North America’s most respected independent public relations firms that was selected by the CTO as its PR agency for the Canadian market.
A total of 23 Tourist Boards and suppliers participated in the promotional  activities, the largest number to date for Caribbean Week, which is attended by Canadian travel agents, tour operators, media and travel writers.
CTO member countries that did not participate in the ‘Caribbean Week’ activities in Toronto, including Guyana,should at least have representation by their Consulates.
The absence of both public and private sector tourism representatives at events like these can send the wrong signal to Canadian travel agents, tour operators and the media regarding their level of interest in the Canadian market.
One of the highlights of Caribbean Week  was“Rum and Rhythm”, a celebration of Caribbean culture, food and drink, featuring  mouthwatering dishes from award-winning  Jamaican Chef, Selwyn Richards, and St. Lucian Lester Hinkson.
The blend of Caribbean culinary specialties, world-renowned liquor and outstanding Caribbean musical performances, provided more than enough enticement for the Canadian audience to experience a unique Caribbean vacation.